If you have not yet been introduced to Tish, now is your chance to say hello. She has a very small (non spoilery) role in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and she's ... well ... let's just say that her characterization has a little something of the fifties about it.
It really is a fantastic game, but I'm not sure how Eidos Montreal expected this little thing to go unnoticed.
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She's the most overly stereotypical black woman you can possibly imagine, Bakewell. Like a crack-addicted Aunt Jemima. You're just expecting her to blurt out "YESSA, MASSA!" at any moment.
Um, please Jim, come to Chicago. Take a walk through the South Loop, and this is actually very accurate. Unless, you think that everyone speaks, acts and carry themselves in some vanilla fashion.
Seriously, would this be less offensive if her tone/gestures were more in line with a educated white person? Come on ...
It may be a good game, but god damn is that some terrible voice acting on both part. Especially the black ladies, it didn't even sound like a woman was voicing her, it sounded like some guy pretending to be a black woman.
Wait... This is a woman? When I saw the leaked beta videos with her in it I thought she was some sort of tranny hooker (thus sorta explaining the gross exaggeration).
It's more than likely a call back to the first Deus Ex which had some bad stereotypes. Honestly it isn't like their trying to offend people... Though their portrayal of Detroit is a bit suspect. Regardless, I wouldn't get up in arms about this. There's no hate behind it, just bad writing.
Man, I don't know whose worse. The white guy pretending to be a ignorant aunt Jemimah black woman or the retard doing a Christian-Bale Batman (which was the worst part of that movie, don't deny it he sounded stupid.)
OK not going to repeat my previous comment. The game takes place in Detroit. Please, come to any Midwestern inner city and you will see a lot of homeless people that talk JUST LIKE THIS.
Yes, lets have everyone speak in vanilla tones, please. Also, lets cause a stir for the offensive voice acting in the movie 'Fargo.' Because, lets be honest, everyone speaks the same, right?
She sounds like a guy. A white guy specifically, doing an impression of what he THINKS a black woman sounds like. I'm not sure if it's offensive or hilarious.
Yeah, I cringed when I first saw this. That same mannish voice actress was used for the hostage in the first mission of the game as well. I thought she was man then. I'm just happy to know that it isn't a standard.
Agree with OMG Kitteh. Sure its a stereotype that borders on the distasteful, but at least its not boring, phoned-in dreck like most NPCs. Looking at you, Mass Effect. And everybody whining about the "deliberate mispronunciation" of words would benefit from taking an entry-level course in linguistics. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about AAE and the relationship between language and dialect.
GoodGuyA, thanks for pointing that out. I never played the original Deus Ex, I'm sure a lot of others haven't either or have otherwise simply forgotten that aspect of the experience.
Granted, it just pretty poor all around, but I am curious if ole Jimmy would have made a blog post about it if it was a southern man portrayed in a similar stereotypical fashion.
As a black man, I'm a bit offended. This was a terrible choice for them to do that. The game was looking so perfect. It's still a wonderful game though.
I don't mind the accent so much, but that lip syncing put me all the way outside of the uncanny valley. Haven't seen anything that bad since badly dubbed Chinese movies.
I've heard a few black women talk like that before. I don't know if it's because they were homeless or old but it's not racist, it doesn't seem particularly hateful.
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Contest:
4:30 PM on 08.23.2011 | 
I mean, seriously!? Who thought this was a good idea? And is that actress deliberately mispronouncing words? Like 'specific' as 'pacific'?
Also, at the first i think that is a dude that does the talking, and then they replaced it with a women lol
Seriously, would this be less offensive if her tone/gestures were more in line with a educated white person? Come on ...
Tisha seems to be a man dressed as a woman. The voice is kind of deep and the style is kind of sassy. Just the vibe i get from him/her
"How are you doing Laticia?"
x_X "Bitch ass AUG cracker you just saw me looking through a mother fucking bin!"
Weeell sheeeeit...
Yes, lets have everyone speak in vanilla tones, please. Also, lets cause a stir for the offensive voice acting in the movie 'Fargo.' Because, lets be honest, everyone speaks the same, right?
WEELLL SHHEEEEIIITTTT.....
Yeah, no comment.
GoodGuyA, thanks for pointing that out. I never played the original Deus Ex, I'm sure a lot of others haven't either or have otherwise simply forgotten that aspect of the experience.
I'M THE BATMAN.
Please, someone tell me if its always that way...
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